Malaysia must pursue real reform during bauxite mining moratorium
By Robert Held The tale of Icarus is known the world over. Daedalus, the master craftsman of King Midas, fashioned a set of wax wings…
Is Najib an asset or a liability to UMNO and Barisan Nasional?
By: Vanitha Nadaraj Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak is facing what no other prime minister in Malaysia has ever faced: international scrutiny as a…
Sunny days in Sunnylands? ASEAN goes to America
Next week on 15-16 February, US President Barack Obama will host a special US-ASEAN summit at the Sunnylands resort in California. It will be the…
Indonesia must look to neighbours for halal export inspiration
By: Ardi Wirdana Indonesia’s halal industry is looking to follow the footsteps of neighbours Malaysia and Thailand to become one of the world’s major halal product…
Vietnam: Same leader, but better for the neighbourhood?
By Loke Hoe Yeong Last week’s congress of Vietnam’s Communist Party re-elected Nguyen Phu Trong as its Secretary-General, de facto the most powerful position in…
Levy for foreign workers in Malaysia: Who will blink first?
By: Vanitha Nadaraj Malaysia never did resolve its foreign worker dependency issue and the newly revised annual foreign worker levy proves just that. What started…
What if we think of a different role for the Asean Community?
Within the region, it has been hard to escape the rah-rah over the establishment of the Asean Community, and in particular the Asean Economic Community…
Indonesia car sales set to stay sluggish in 2016
By: Ardi Wirdana Indonesian car sales in 2015 was unsatisfactory, to say the least. The automotive industry recorded 1.01 million car sales last year, which is…
Indonesia prepares for 2016 Franchise Frenzy
By: Ardi Wirdana Indonesia is projected to be home to the biggest franchise industry in the region in 2016, according to research consultancy firm Spire. In…
After first year, Jokowi needs to balance low profile with ‘people instinct’
For President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, 2015 served as a whirlwind introduction to the national political stage and all of its intricacies. In his first six…